Pattern Collection

7 Blackwork Sampler Patterns: From Pincushion to Chessboard

Seven blackwork sampler patterns, from a tiny 4-inch pincushion to a full-size chessboard. Each chart is downloadable, so you can print it, choose your colours, and start stitching at your own pace.

For centuries, young girls stitched blackwork samplers to practise patterns, alphabets and borders. Today you can do the same, turning these designs into cushions (or pillows, for my American friends) or framing them as striking wall art. Prices from £1.75.

Garden Rose Maze Diagonal Tudor Oak Pincushion Chessboard

Garden Sampler

£3.75 Instant PDF download

A formal knot garden, stitched in thread instead of plants. Two shades of green and a gold metallic thread recreate the feel of a grand walled garden seen from above. The repeating paths and "beds" make this a soothing, rhythmic stitch.

The design was inspired by a visit to Rothamsted Manor, where my grandfather was head gardener and my grandmother the housekeeper. The pantry was full of bottled produce, but the garden was missing the knot centrepiece I'd imagined. So I designed my own and turned it into this sampler.

Stitch it as a cushion for your favourite chair, or frame it as a window into a garden that never needs weeding.

Design size: 30.5 x 30.5 cm (12 x 12 in) on 14 count

Fabric: Aida 14 or 28 count evenweave

Threads: Two shades of green + gold metallic

Blackwork Garden Sampler in green and gold, with knot-garden paths and beds Add to Cart Price excludes UK/EU VAT (added at checkout)
Why this design works: The repeating knot-garden geometry gives you long rhythmic stretches of stitching, and the gold metallic catches light differently from every angle.

Rose Sampler Cushion

£3.75 Instant PDF download

A Tudor rose you can hold in your hands. Worked in a single colour of your choice, this design uses tone and value to bring the Tudor rose to life in blackwork. Each petal is filled with geometric patterns that add depth while keeping the iconic shape crisp.

The Tudor rose has always fascinated me, part history and part emblem of peace after years of conflict. It appeared on buildings, furniture, clothing and embroidery, so it felt only right to honour it in blackwork, a technique closely associated with the Tudor period.

On a cushion it becomes a focal point on your sofa or bed. Framed, it feels like a small piece of Tudor history hanging on your wall.

Design size: 34.5 x 34.5 cm on 14 count

Fabric: Aida 14 or 28 count evenweave

Threads: A single colour of your choice (try deep red, navy or charcoal)

Blackwork Rose Sampler cushion featuring a Tudor rose with geometric petal fills Add to Cart Price excludes UK/EU VAT (added at checkout)
Why this design works: Stitching the whole piece in one colour lets the blackwork fills do the work. Tone and value, not colour, create the depth.

Maze Sampler

£3.75 Instant PDF download

A stately home maze, safely stitched on your sofa. Designed as a partner to the Garden Sampler, this maze is worked in black and gold (or any colourway you choose to match your decor). The paths twist and turn in an ordered puzzle that's satisfying to stitch and beautiful to display.

The pattern grew from childhood memories of wandering real garden mazes. Getting lost, doubling back, and finally finding the heart of it all. Here, the pathways and central knot garden are captured in blackwork lines instead of hedges.

No one will get lost in this maze. There's no way in, just a striking ornamental design that looks wonderful as a cushion or framed piece.

Design size: 30.5 x 30.5 cm (12 x 12 in) on 14 count

Fabric: Aida 14 or 28 count evenweave

Threads: Black + gold metallic, or any palette you prefer

Blackwork Maze Sampler with twisting black-and-gold pathways and a central knot garden Add to Cart Price excludes UK/EU VAT (added at checkout)
Why this design works: Designed as a sibling to the Garden Sampler. Stitch the pair and hang them together for a matched set.

Diagonal Sampler

£3.75 Instant PDF download

Practice borders, create a cushion, remember a garden. This sampler is perfect for anyone who wants to explore blackwork borders. Stitched in pink it makes a pretty bedroom cushion, but it also shines in other colours for everyday use.

The design was born during a class held in a student's home, where the view from the window stole the show. Flowerbeds in each corner of a lawn formed a central diamond of grass with a garden seat in the middle. Pink and white blooms, narrow paths, apple trees at the corners. Every detail felt carefully tended.

Those shapes and colours became diagonal rows of borders in this sampler. I used pink and white tones to echo the flowers. You can choose your own palette to echo a garden you love.

Design size: 31.6 x 31.6 cm (12.5 x 12.5 in) on 14 count

Fabric: Aida 14 or 28 count evenweave

Threads: Pink and white shown, any palette works

Blackwork Diagonal Sampler with rows of border patterns in pink and white Add to Cart Price excludes UK/EU VAT (added at checkout)
Why this design works: A working library of blackwork borders, arranged on the diagonal. Lift any single row for use in another project.

Tudor Oak

£3.75 Instant PDF download

Oak leaves, Tudor charm, and a gentle nod to autumn. This cushion design features a repeating pattern of stylised oak leaves, stitched in the colour you love most. Traditional black on white gives a crisp Tudor feel; autumn shades create a softer, seasonal look.

The idea arrived on a breezy day in my studio as oak leaves drifted in through the open window, bringing back memories of childhood spent playing under that tree. My uncle's pub, the Tudor Oak, linked those leaves in my mind with the Tudor rose, and the two ideas fused into a repeating blackwork pattern.

The result is a design that feels both nostalgic and timeless. Equally at home on a modern sofa or an old wooden settle.

Design size: 38 x 38 cm (15 x 15 in) on 14 count

Fabric: Aida 14 or 28 count evenweave

Threads: Single colour (black for Tudor feel, or autumn shades for seasonal warmth)

Tudor Oak blackwork sampler with repeating stylised oak leaves Add to Cart Price excludes UK/EU VAT (added at checkout)
Why this design works: The repeating motif pairs with any colour story. Black for Tudor, autumn shades for harvest warmth, or your own colour for everyday use.

Blackwork Pincushion

£1.75 Instant PDF download

A tiny sampler with big possibilities. This miniature blackwork sampler can be finished as a pincushion, or broken down into individual squares for 1/12th scale dollhouse cushions.

The design was inspired by a small shop I stumbled into years ago, a treasure trove of buttons, ribbons and threads. On one shelf, tiny silver pincushions sparkled, and that was the moment I fell in love with needlecraft and miniatures.

Originally I planned to stitch each motif as a separate dollhouse pillow. Once I began stitching I realised they could combine into a checkerboard pincushion with alternating designs, giving you multiple ways to use the same chart.

Will yours live on your sewing table, or as miniature pillows in a dollhouse room?

Design size: 10 x 10 cm (4 x 4 in) on 14 count

Fabric: Aida 14 or 28 count evenweave

Techniques: Multiple motifs that work alone or combine into a checkerboard

Blackwork Pincushion sampler with multiple small motifs in a checkerboard layout Add to Cart Price excludes UK/EU VAT (added at checkout)
Why this design works: The cheapest pattern in the collection, but the motifs are modular. Stitch one as a pincushion, or use individual squares as dollhouse cushions.

Blackwork Chessboard

£5.00 Instant PDF download

For the stitcher who loves a good game. This dramatic blackwork chessboard is built from 16 distinct patterns worked in black and gold metallic threads. The chess pieces around the border are outlined in gold, making this a striking choice for any chess enthusiast.

I designed it with the devoted player in mind, imagining the board in use, pieces moving across the stitched squares while two people sit in quiet concentration. Each blackwork fill adds its own texture, so the board feels alive even before the first move is played.

Display it as a framed artwork, or mount it so it can be used as a real playing board. Either way, it brings the focus and elegance of a well-fought match into your home.

Design size: 42.9 x 42.9 cm (16.9 x 16.9 in) on 14 count

Fabric: Aida 14 or 28 count evenweave

Techniques: 16 distinct blackwork fills + gold metallic chess-piece border

Blackwork Chessboard sampler with 16 distinct fill patterns in black and gold Add to Cart Price excludes UK/EU VAT (added at checkout)
Why this design works: 16 different fills mean you'll never get bored. The gold-outlined pieces in the border lift the whole composition.
Kim stitched the Chessboard for her dad's hand-carved set
Kim's finished blackwork chess board displayed with her father's hand-carved chess pieces
Kim's finished chess board, ready for that long-awaited game with Dad

A few years ago I was waiting in a very long queue to visit the first Outdoor Show at the NEC in Birmingham. We had been delayed entering due to set-up problems, so I dragged my (then) boyfriend to the Hobby and Craft show to kill some time, just for a mooch.

My Dad had carved me a chess set (which I have displayed in a cabinet), but I hadn't found a chess board to fit. So when I walked into the hall with all the beautiful cross stitch displays, I was immediately drawn to the X-Calibre stand with a wonderful black and gold blackwork chess board on display.

I was (still am) a bit of a novice and had only previously completed two cross stitch works of art, both dream catchers which still adorn my bedroom walls, so I was a little concerned about how much more complicated blackwork would be. I needn't have worried. Carol was so enthusiastic and helped me choose the size of Aida to make sure the chess set would fit.

Stretched across my frame, it became more of an item of furniture in my front room as I slowly completed it. Boyfriends came and went. Dad had a cardiac arrest but thankfully survived it, and he was recently well chuffed when he saw the finished framed masterpiece. I personalised one square with the family names, and am now waiting to play my first game of chess with Dad, using the board.

Hope you like the picture, and thank you Carol.

Kim Hudson, Birmingham
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The full beginner walkthrough. Eight guided projects, neat reversible backs taught from scratch. £9.95.